Learn Hardcore Croatian: Koliko god je zadatak težak, moramo ići dalje. - However difficult the task is, we must go on.

Yes, god is a separate little word (a particle). On its own, it does not have a clear independent meaning in modern Croatian; it mainly appears in fixed patterns that mean “any / whoever / whatever / however”, for example:

tko god – whoever
što god – whatever
gdje god – wherever
kad god – whenever
koliko god – however much / however … (degree)

So koliko means how much / how (degree), and adding god turns it into “however much / no matter how”.

Why is it Koliko god je zadatak težak, and not a question like Koliko je zadatak težak?

Koliko je zadatak težak? is a direct question: “How difficult is the task?”

Koliko god je zadatak težak is not a question. It is a subordinate concessive clause, meaning:

“However difficult the task is”
“No matter how difficult the task is”

The particle god is what turns koliko from a question word (“how much?”) into this concessive meaning (“however much / no matter how”).

Why is the verb je in the middle: Koliko god je zadatak težak? Could it go somewhere else?

Je is a clitic (an unstressed short verb form) of biti (“to be”). Croatian has fairly rigid rules about where clitics go: they tend to occupy the second position in the clause.

In Koliko god je zadatak težak:

Koliko = 1st element
god is attached to it and doesn’t “count” for clitic placement
je = clitic, so it moves to the second position in the clause

You will not normally hear Koliko je god zadatak težak in this meaning; the standard pattern is Koliko god je zadatak težak (clitic after the whole koliko god unit).

Could I say Koliko god težak je zadatak instead of Koliko god je zadatak težak?

That word order sounds odd and non‑standard. In predicative constructions like this, Croatian strongly prefers:

je + subject + predicate adjective
→ je zadatak težak

You might see other variations in poetry or very marked styles, but for normal, correct everyday language you should stick to:

Koliko god je zadatak težak

Why is težak in the masculine form? Could it be something else?

Težak is a predicate adjective describing zadatak (“task”).

zadatak is masculine singular (nominative)
The adjective must agree with it in gender, number, and case
So you get: zadatak je težak (masc. sg.)

If the noun were different, the adjective would change:

vježba (fem.) → vježba je teška
pitanje (neut.) → pitanje je teško
zadaci (plural masc.) → zadaci su teški

Is the comma before moramo ići dalje necessary?

Yes, you should keep the comma.

Koliko god je zadatak težak is a subordinate clause, and moramo ići dalje is the main clause. In standard Croatian orthography, these are separated by a comma:

Koliko god je zadatak težak, moramo ići dalje.

Leaving the comma out would be considered incorrect in formal writing.

What does moramo ići dalje literally and idiomatically mean?

Literally:

moramo – we must / we have to
ići – to go
dalje – further / farther

So: “we have to go further”.

Idiomatic meaning:

“we have to keep going”
“we must go on / move on”
“we can’t stop / give up here”

It’s commonly used in motivational or resolute contexts, not literally about physical movement only.

Could I say moramo nastaviti instead of moramo ići dalje? Is there a difference?

You can say moramo nastaviti (“we must continue”), and it’s grammatically fine. The nuance:

moramo ići dalje
– slightly more figurative / motivational, often used about progress, life, work, etc.
– evokes a sense of “moving forward” on a path.
moramo nastaviti
– more neutral “we must continue (doing what we’re doing)”.

In many contexts they overlap, but moramo ići dalje sounds a bit more like an encouraging statement.

Is there also a version with da: Koliko god da je zadatak težak? Is that different?

Yes, Koliko god da je zadatak težak also exists and is correct. In practice:

Koliko god je zadatak težak
Koliko god da je zadatak težak

Both mean essentially the same thing: “However difficult the task is”.

The da version is a bit more explicit and is sometimes preferred in careful or formal style, but in everyday speech you will very often hear it without da, exactly as in your sentence.

What is the difference between koliko god and ma koliko?

Both can introduce concessive clauses, but they differ in tone and structure:

Koliko god je zadatak težak, moramo ići dalje.
→ neutral, very common, fully standard.
Ma koliko je / da je zadatak težak, moramo ići dalje.
→ ma koliko feels a bit more emphatic or literary; it can sound slightly stronger: “no matter how (even if extremely) difficult…”

In everyday conversation, koliko god is more frequent and safer for you as a learner. Ma koliko is good to recognize, especially in written or formal language.

Can koliko god be used only with adjectives like težak, or also with verbs and other things?

You can use koliko god with:

Adjectives / adverbs (degree)
- Koliko god je zadatak težak, moramo pokušati.
  However difficult the task is…
- Koliko god sporo napredujemo, nećemo odustati.
  However slowly we progress…
Quantities / amounts
- Koliko god novca imaš, nije dovoljno.
  However much money you have, it’s not enough.
With da
- verb
- Koliko god da radiš, nikad nije dosta.
  However much you work, it’s never enough.

So it’s quite flexible; the core idea is always “however much / to whatever extent”.

When would I use koliki god instead of koliko god?

The distinction is:

koliko – “how much / how (degree)”
koliki – “how big / how large / what size / what amount (as an adjective)”

In practice, koliko god is much more common in this concessive structure. You might see koliki god when koliki behaves more like a full adjective agreeing with a noun:

Koliki god zadatak bio, moramo ga završiti.
No matter how big the task is, we must finish it.

In your sentence we are talking about difficulty (degree), not size, so koliko god je zadatak težak is the natural choice.